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| Muhammad Ali funeral: Thousands line route for farewell | Muhammad Ali funeral: Thousands line route for farewell |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Thousands have attended a farewell procession for boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his home city of Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky. | Thousands have attended a farewell procession for boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his home city of Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky. |
| Onlookers cheered his cortege as it passed by on its way to a city cemetery where he was then buried in a private service for family and friends. | Onlookers cheered his cortege as it passed by on its way to a city cemetery where he was then buried in a private service for family and friends. |
| The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74. | The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74. |
| An interfaith memorial service for the boxer is now being held at a major sports centre. | |
| Former President Bill Clinton is to deliver one of the eulogies. | |
| Latest updates | Latest updates |
| Look back at the life of the ultimate fighter | Look back at the life of the ultimate fighter |
| Thousands of free tickets for the memorial service were snapped up within half an hour. | Thousands of free tickets for the memorial service were snapped up within half an hour. |
| The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard. | The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard. |
| Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area. | Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area. |
| Fans threw flowers at the hearse and rose petals were scattered along the route. | Fans threw flowers at the hearse and rose petals were scattered along the route. |
| In one neighbourhood, several young men ran alongside the vehicle carrying a placard which read: "Ali is the greatest, thanks 4 all the memories." | In one neighbourhood, several young men ran alongside the vehicle carrying a placard which read: "Ali is the greatest, thanks 4 all the memories." |
| The cortege then brought the coffin to the Cave Hill cemetery, where Muhammad Ali was buried in a private ceremony. Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis were among the pallbearers. | |
| A memorial service at the KFC Yum! Centre is now under way. | |
| Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016 | Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016 |
| The man who changed his sport and his country | The man who changed his sport and his country |
| 'No sportsman has touched more lives' | 'No sportsman has touched more lives' |
| Obituary: Muhammad Ali | Obituary: Muhammad Ali |
| Muhammad Ali in his own words | Muhammad Ali in his own words |
| What made him so great? | What made him so great? |
| Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak. | Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak. |
| Among those expected to attend the service is King Abdullah of Jordan. | Among those expected to attend the service is King Abdullah of Jordan. |
| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursday's prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but reports say he has cut short his visit to the US. | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursday's prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but reports say he has cut short his visit to the US. |
| The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funeral's organisers. | The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funeral's organisers. |
| President Barack Obama will not be there, as he is to attend his eldest daughter Malia's graduation. | President Barack Obama will not be there, as he is to attend his eldest daughter Malia's graduation. |
| But in a video message, he said: "This week we lost an icon. A person who for African Americans, I think, liberated their minds in recognising that they could be proud of who they were." | But in a video message, he said: "This week we lost an icon. A person who for African Americans, I think, liberated their minds in recognising that they could be proud of who they were." |
| White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - will represent the president. | White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - will represent the president. |
| Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight boxing champion himself, said it was an honour to be a pallbearer and that Ali's memory would never fade. | Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight boxing champion himself, said it was an honour to be a pallbearer and that Ali's memory would never fade. |
| "The term 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' will always be remembered. He is an icon and a legend of boxing," he said. | "The term 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' will always be remembered. He is an icon and a legend of boxing," he said. |
| The other pallbearers are family and friends, along with Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in the 2001 film about the boxer's life. | The other pallbearers are family and friends, along with Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in the 2001 film about the boxer's life. |
| Abi Ajram, 48, who has made a 4,000-mile trip from London to pay his respects, told PA: "I feel Muhammad Ali deserved the world turning up for him. He was the number one." | Abi Ajram, 48, who has made a 4,000-mile trip from London to pay his respects, told PA: "I feel Muhammad Ali deserved the world turning up for him. He was the number one." |
| The funeral service will be streamed live online. | The funeral service will be streamed live online. |
| One sour note was the report that some people were trying to sell the free tickets to the service on the internet. | One sour note was the report that some people were trying to sell the free tickets to the service on the internet. |
| Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he was "personally disgusted" at attempts to profit from the event. | Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he was "personally disgusted" at attempts to profit from the event. |
| 'Teaching moment' | 'Teaching moment' |
| The funeral events began on Thursday with a Muslim prayer service attended by 14,000 people. | The funeral events began on Thursday with a Muslim prayer service attended by 14,000 people. |
| Ali wanted the service, known as a Jenazah, to be "a teaching moment", according to Imam Zaid Shakir, who led it. | Ali wanted the service, known as a Jenazah, to be "a teaching moment", according to Imam Zaid Shakir, who led it. |
| American Muslims attending the service and watching on TV said they hoped that the public prayers would help Americans to become more familiar with Islam and its practices. | American Muslims attending the service and watching on TV said they hoped that the public prayers would help Americans to become more familiar with Islam and its practices. |
| In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name". | In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name". |
| He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam. | He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam. |
| In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout. | In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout. |
| Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health. | Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health. |
| Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled. | Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled. |
| He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London. | He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London. |
| He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. | He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. |